Woodbridge Will Play for a Tie Tonight

The way Bill Shannon, Woodbridge High School basketball coach, sees it, he’ll be looking at an exact opposite at one end of the court and a striking similarity at the other when the Warriors play host to Corona del Mar in a key Sea View League contest at 7:30 tonight.

On offense, the first-place Sea Kings (9-2 in league, 19-4 overall) prefer the outside route behind the shooting of Jeff Fryer, the county’s leading scorer at 27.8 points per game. Woodbridge, one game behind Corona del Mar at 8-3 (19-5 overall), relies on the inside game of forwards Adam Keefe and Vince Bryan.

On defense, Shannon calls the teams “mirror images of each other.” Both employ tight man-to-man defenses and occasionally use a 2-2-1 zone press.

Shannon will again be looking for his inside tandem of Keefe, a 6-foot 7-inch sophomore averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds a game, and Bryan, a 6-6 junior averaging 12 points a game to provide the offense. Yet, the last time the teams played, it was an outside shot by guard Mike Murphy with four seconds left that gave the Warriors a 57-56 victory at Corona del Mar.

That victory was only the Warriors’ second over the Sea Kings in Woodbridge’s five-year history. A victory tonight would clinch a playoff spot for the Warriors and put them in a tie for first place.

Is Shannon surprised?

“A little bit,” he said. “We’ve done really well. Particularly when you consider the youth we have and considering we really don’t have a quick, quick player.”

Woodbridge has enjoyed a decided home-court advantage in the second half of league play. Five of the Warriors’ seven games in the second half are at home.

“It’s unfamiliar for anyone to come into our gym with the noise and the crowd and everything,” Shannon said. “I really can’t say if that will be to our advantage tonight. I sure hope it is.”

In other Sea View League games, University (5-6, 9-12) is at Costa Mesa (0-11, 1-17), Laguna Beach (7-4, 13-8) is at Estancia (5-6, 12-10) and Newport Harbor (5-6, 11-10) is at Saddleback (5-6, 10-11).

ANGELUS LEAGUE Pius X (4-3, 13-7) vs. Mater Dei (7-0, 22-0) at Chapman College--The Monarchs, who had an easy time with Bishop Montgomery Wednesday, have also made short work of the rest of the league. They’ll try to extend their winning streak to 52 over the last two seasons. Pius X, the only other team in the league with a winning record, figures to give Mater Dei its toughest league matchup.

Also: Bishop Amat (2-5, 9-11) at Servite (3-4, 8-10).

CENTURY LEAGUE Orange (6-5, 11-11) at Tustin (6-5, 12-9)--The teams are tied for fourth place, but a victory tonight, combined with a loss by third-place El Modena, would put of them right back into the playoff picture. Kevin Anderson had a career-high 38 points in Tustin’s victory over Villa Park Wednesday, while Orange dropped a one-point decision to Santa Ana.

Also: Canyon (2-9, 6-15) at Foothill (9-2, 17-5), Santa Ana Valley (4-7, 9-12) at El Modena (7-4, 10-9) and Villa Park (0-11, 4-15) at Santa Ana (10-1, 17-5).

EMPIRE LEAGUE Katella (10-1, 18-3) at Los Alamitos (9-2, 15-5)--The Griffins are tied with El Dorado for second place, one game behind the Knights. A victory tonight would give Los Alamitos, which used its running game to beat Cypress Wednesday, a share of the league lead. Katella also had a big second half Wednesday, rallying to down Kennedy behind Bob Erbst’s 30 points.

Also: Cypress (7-4, 12-10) at Loara (0-11, 0-18), Pacifica (2-9, 6-14) at El Dorado (9-2, 17-4) and Kennedy (4-7, 8-12) at Esperanza (3-8, 7-12).

FREEWAY LEAGUE Buena Park (6-1, 10-9) at Troy (7-0, 13-7)--The Coyotes, who got 13 points from Orlando Robins and 11 from Tony Toscano in a 16-point victory over Sunny Hills Wednesday, have a chance to move into a first-place tie with the Warriors. Troy could take a two-game lead and all but wrap up the league title with a victory.

Also: Fullerton (3-4, 12-9) at La Habra (1-6, 1-16) and Sunny Hills (2-5, 4-13) at Sonora (2-5, 4-13).

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE Rancho Alamitos (7-0, 13-7) at Garden Grove (3-4, 12-9)--The Argonauts, fighting it out with La Quinta for the league’s third and final playoff spot, face a stiff challenge in the Vaqueros, who will try to remain unbeaten in league play. Garden Grove will attempt to rebound from Wednesday’s overtime loss to La Quinta. Randy Morales scored 22 points and Roger Carter added 21 in the Rancho Alamitos’ easy win over Los Amigos Wednesday.

Also: Bolsa Grande (6-1, 13-6) at La Quinta (3-4, 6-10) and Santiago (0-7, 3-15) at Los Amigos (2-5, 9-10).

ORANGE LEAGUE Valencia (3-4, 11-8) at Savanna (3-4, 5-12)--In the first meeting between the teams, the Tigers beat the Rebels, 44-26. Savanna will have to get scoring from junior forward Mike Campbell (13.8) if it expects to retain a share of second place. Besides Savanna and Valencia, Magnolia and Anaheim are 3-4 in league. The Tigers are led by senior forward Kevin Jones, who scored 17 points in Valencia’s upset loss to Anaheim earlier this week.

Also: Magnolia (3-4, 8-11) at Western (2-5, 7-12) and Anaheim (3-4, 11-9) at Brea-Olinda (7-0, 19-4).

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE Capistrano Valley (10-0, 22-2) at Mission Viejo (8-1, 18-5)--The Cougars will try to stay unbeaten in league play, while the Diablos will try to climb within striking distance. Nathan Call and Jason Trask combined for 41 points Wednesday night in Capistrano Valley’s easy victory over Irvine. Mission Viejo is led by Jeff Herdman, a 6-5 junior forward who is averaging 17.2 points a game.

Also: Irvine (6-4, 14-11) at Dana Hills (0-9, 6-13) and Laguna Hills (1-8, 3-15) at San Clemente. (2-7, 9-13).

SUNSET LEAGUE Marina (4-4, 14-10) at Ocean View (8-0, 18-4)--The Seahawks again got solid performances from Blaine DeBrouwer (26 points) and Ricky Butler (19 points) in Wednesday’s easy win over Huntington Beach as they continue to run away from the rest of the league. The Vikings, tied with Edison for second place, will need another big night from Steve Guild and Mike Meyers, who combined for 50 points Wednesday night in a victory over Westminster.

Also: Huntington Beach (3-5, 9-13) at Edison (4-4, 14-8) and Westminster (2-6, 5-16) at Fountain Valley (3-5, 12-11).